Yesterday, CoverGirl announced their first-ever male spokesmodel, James Charles. And one look at his Instagram will prove that this title is rightfully deserved.

Beauty

10.12.2016

By Milk Staff

The New CoverGirl SpokesModel is a CoverBoy

While we certainly have a long way to go, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the great strides we’ve made as a society, in just this past year alone, in challenging and fighting back against the limiting and simply unrealistic gender norms.

Take CoverGirl’s recent decision to name 17-year-old internet beauty sensation James Charles as the new face of their brand—making him the first male to ever be chosen as a CoverGirl spokesmodel. Just the name “CoverGirl” alone reeks of an antiquated, oppressive outlook. And it makes sense if you think about it: the brand was established in 1961, when maintaining the stifling gender norms that we’ve been working so hard to dismantle today was practically contingent on maintaining social order and civility. But with their most recent endeavor, CoverGirl has proven that they’re not beholden to their name—or their outdated roots.

A photo posted by JAMES CHARLES (@jcharlesbeauty) on Jul 29, 2016 at 8:17pm PDT

This isn’t the first time a beauty brand has rejected gender norms either; Milk’s very own Milk Makeup has, since day one, taken a fluid approach to gender. Not only do they include guys in their campaigns, but they do so without even acknowledging it, as if it’s customary—or, the new norm.

Milk Makeup’s Fall 2016 campaign.

The CoverGirl announcement came yesterday, courtesy of Katy Perry, another CoverGirl spokesmodel—and, as a quick look at Charles’ Instagram will certainly prove, was entirely deserved. More times than not, the guy looks like an airbrushed alien. As anyone who’s familiar with the pangs of liquid eyeliner can attest, Charles is not so much makeup proficient as he is an immensely talented artist who happens to dabble in makeup. If only we could highlight with such precision.